Ngos autonomous learning promotion supported by an engineering practical and participatory methodology: AEI Foundation1 case

Abstract

This article presents the experience and results obtained through a participatory construction process of autonomous learning in the AEI Foundation, a Colombian environmental NGO. The foundation interest was to have an institutional strength and through the autonomous learning process the foundation develops an institutional plan. The learning and planning process were based on a participative construction approach. This approach is compound by 4 elements:

1. Instruments designed for participative construction: weekly workshops, and Idealized design. 2. Dialogic places construction: genuine listening and speaking that leads to participative construction. 3. Auto-observation: reflexion in order to make sense of personal and organizational actions 4. Maturity Scenarios planning exercise: To auto-recognize the self development NGO situation, in coherence with their context oriented to achieve their idealized design.

Our goal is to promote the autonomous learning in a NGO context making use of both engineering tools such as maturity scenarios planning, idealized design, and indicators; and a participatory methodology which permits the creation of dialogic places and auto-observation.